Final EIS for CTA Red Line Extension released

Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
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transitchicago.com

The Final EIS/ROD for the CTA Red Line Extension has been released.

RT&S has filed several reports on the Chicago Transit Authority’s proposed Red Line extension. The agency is proposing to extend the Red Line from the existing terminal at 95th/Dan Ryan to 130th Street, a 5.6-mile extension.

Route map for proposed CTA Red Line Extension (CTA)

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed extension has been released and is a joint effort of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The full report is entitled Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation for the Red Line Extension (RLE) Project.

The Final EIS includes the project’s purpose and need, a description of the alternatives considered, and evaluates the potential impacts and benefits of the project’s Preferred Alignment in comparison with the No Build Alternative. 

The Final EIS has been combined with the ROD into a single document. The ROD is the conclusion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) EIS process and is the official FTA decision document regarding the project’s environmental impacts and mitigation. The combined Final EIS/ROD commits to specific mitigation measures to eliminate or reduce adverse impacts.

Public and agency comments received on the Draft EIS in 2016, the Preferred Alignment announcement in 2018, and the Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) in 2022, and responses to those comments, are included in the Final EIS/ROD. Comments received during the NEPA process have informed the Final EIS. 

You can download a copy of the report at transitchicago.com/rle/finaleis.

Read more articles about the Red Line Extension.

For brief news updates and commentary, please follow me on Twitter @davidclesterRTS

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